Georgia election case: Trump, other 18 defendants surrender to authorities

Former President Trump was processed and released on bail.

Former President Donald Trump and the 18 other defendants charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for their alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia all surrendered to authorities at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta.

Trump and 17 other defendants were processed and released on bail, with one defendant held without bond. Several defendants also mounted legal challenges to the DA's case.


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Trump lands in Atlanta

Trump's plane has landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He is expected to be booked then released at the Fulton County Jail this evening.


John Eastman will seek speedy trial separate from others, lawyer says

Appearing on CNN, John Eastman's attorney Harvey Silverglate said his client intends to sever his case from his co-defendants and pursue a speedy trial.

"We are going to move to sever his case from the others and move for a severed trial which means we want to be tried alone," Silverglate said. "We'd like to have a speedy trial -- that is, we would like to be tried right away. It'll take three weeks and the whole nightmare will be over for him."

As of Thursday evening, Eastman has not filed a speedy trial motion or a motion to sever his case, according to his docket.

Eastman is charged with nine counts, including solicitation as well as conspiracies to commit forgery, make false statements and impersonate a public officer. The former Trump lawyer is alleged to have been involved in a scheme to solicit public officers to unlawfully appoint Georgia presidential electors.

Defendant Kenneth Chesebro has also filed for a speedy trial, while Mark Meadows, Kenneth Clark and David Shafer have separately filed to have their cases moved into federal court.


Trump plane takes off for Atlanta

Trump's plane has taken off from New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport en route to Atlanta for his anticipated booking at the Fulton County Jail this evening.


Hearing scheduled on Jeffrey Clark's bid to move case to federal court

Judge Steve Jones has set a hearing date of Sept. 18 for former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark's bid to move his Fulton County criminal charges to federal court.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may submit a written response to Clark's notice of removal no later than Sept. 5, according to Jones' order.

Co-defendants Mark Meadows and David Shafer are also seeking to move their cases into federal court.


4th defendant seeks to move case to federal court

Shawn Still, a recently elected Georgia state senator who was one of the so-called "fake electors" accused in the DA's indictment of working to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, has filed a motion seeking to move his case to federal court -- making him the fourth defendant in the case to do so.

Former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, and former Georgia GOP chair David Shafer all previously filed their own motions seeking removal to federal court.

Although Still is not a federal official, his motion argues that he "was acting, or was acting under, an officer of the United States" in his role as an alternate elector -- a similar argument to Shafer's motion.

"That is, the role of presidential elector is a federal one -- created and directed by the United States Constitution and Congress. Thus, Mr. Still, acting as a presidential elector, was a federal officer," Still's filing says.

Still's filing also argues that he was following the advice of authorities on the matter, saying, "Mr. Still, as a presidential elector, was also acting at the direction of the incumbent President of the United States. The President's attorneys instructed Mr. Still and the other contingent electors that they had to meet and cast their ballots on December 14, 2020, in order to preserve the presidential election contest."

Still is charged with eight counts in the indictment, including impersonating a public officer and forgery in the first degree.